This document, after a thorough discussion at all levels of the International Marxist Tendency over the past year, was approved unanimously by the IMT World Congress held at the end of July 2018 with the original title Marxist Theory and The Struggle Against Alien Class Ideas. Its aim is to draw a line between Marxism and a set of idealistic and postmodernist alien class ideas, which have affected for some time a layer of activists in academic circles and are also being used in a reactionary manner within the international workers' movement.

The crisis of capitalism has given rise to a mood of questioning and mass movements across the world. Youth are starting to take action and challenge the capitalist system. Spontaneous movements have erupted against many forms of oppression. Inspiring movements such as Idle No More, Black Lives Matter, the worldwide demonstrations against violence towards women on March 8, and elements of the anti-Trump movement are a few recent examples of the increasing desire among workers and youth to fight oppression and discrimination.

One hundred years ago the Russian Revolution shook the capitalist world order to its foundations. Here for the first time ever, the Russian workers, led by Lenin and the Bolshevik party, took power into their own hands. The ruling classes have never forgiven this.

Today, we find ourselves in the midst of one of the deepest crises capitalism has ever faced. While the 99% are being asked to pay for the crisis, the 1% are amassing wealth at an ever accelerating pace. All of this is causing a deep questioning of capitalist society. Many are looking for an alternative to the system that we have, and a growing number are looking towards revolutionary socialism for the answer.

This year marks the centenary of the birth of Ted Grant, founder of the International Marxist Tendency. In addition to remaining firm on the basic principles of Marxism in the difficult situation following the death of Trotsky, Ted contributed greatly to the development of Marxist theory in the postwar period. We are proud to announce the publication of Ted Grant: The Permanent Revolutionary, a new political biography by his friend and comrade, Alan Woods. The book is set to launch in late May in Toronto and Montreal, featuring Fred Weston, the managing editor of In Defence of Marxism.

Today marks the 95th anniversary of the most important event in human history -- the victory of the October Revolution and the overthrow of capitalism in Russia. For this momentous event, we republish a speech given in Copenhagen by the great revolutionary, Leon Trotsky, on the 15th anniversary of the revolution. In this speech, Trotsky sets out what actually occurred in Russia leading up to the 1917 revolution, and its significance to working-class movement worldwide. Furthermore, Trotsky outlines the Stalinist degeneration of the revolution and how the totalitarian monstrosity that arose in the USSR was far removed from what socialism genuinely is.

Two decades have passed since Francis Fukuyama published a book entitled The End of History and the Last Man, proclaiming the definitive triumph of market economics and bourgeois democracy. This idea seemed to be confirmed by almost 20 years of soaring markets and virtually uninterrupted economic growth. Politicians, central bankers and Wall Street managers were convinced that they had finally tamed the economic cycle of booms and slumps.

Ann Robertson, in this article originally published in 2002, takes up the arguments often used by reactionaries to present a caricature of what socialism really is. Stalinism is often invoked as if that were genuine socialism. Ann explains what socialism really is.

This morning we heard the tragic news of the death of comrade Ted Grant, just a few days after his 93rd birthday. The news was a great shock to all of us. Despite his age and the obvious deterioration of his condition in the last period, we had grown used to the idea that he would always be there, a permanent fixture amidst all the turbulence and change.